Friends with Kids

"So, why didn't you guys ever even try to get together?"
"It's too much familiarity. It's like she's one of my limbs."
"And that's bad, because...?"
"Because I hate myself."

Jason (Scott) is a serial dater, never keeping a girlfriend for any length of time.  The constant presence in his life is his best friend Julie (Westfeldt).  Jason and Julie had the same views on life and live in the same apartment, and their best friends have coupled up.  One night Leslie (Rudolph) and Alex (O'Dowd), their happily married friends, announce they are pregnant.  Over the next few years Leslie and Alex add a second baby, and their other married friends, Ben (Hamm) and Missy (Wiig), also have a baby.

Watching their friends struggle with raising their children, while maintaining their relationships, Jason and Julie decide to have a baby together.  They plan a "no strings attached" relationship, that gives them a child and the ability to date other people.  Can they keep a platonic relationship, while raising a child together?


In theory, this should be a good film.  It combines the talents of the stars of Bridesmaids (Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph, and Chris O'Dowd) with the potential for strong comedy.  The problem: the main characters, while portrayed by talented individuals, are horrible people.  I enjoy Adam Scott on "Parks and Recreation," but Jason is a horrible person, and no amount of actor charisma can change that.  I am less familiar with Jennifer Westfeldt, who also wrote and directed the film, but her character is also a bad character.  Yes, you go through the emotions with them, but neither character comes off well... and they are consistently overshadowed by their co-stars.

Rudolph, Wiig, O'Dowd, and Hamm are under-used and should appear in more of the film.  The film has an intriguing premise, but fails to deliver the kind of film you expect, based on the previews.  The ending is too abrupt... and disappointing.  It could be Westfeldt's writing style that I don't like, this is my first experience with her.  But overall, I wasn't impressed, and based on other reviews I've read, I don't think I'm alone in that view.

Disappointing.

Friends with Kids (2011) 107 minutes
Rated: R for sexual content and language
Director: Jennifer Westfeldt
Starring: Adam Scott as Jason Fryman
Jennifer Westfeldt as Julie Keller
Jon Hamm as Ben
Kristen Wiig as Missy
Maya Rudolph as Leslie
Chris O'Dowd as Alex
Megan Fox as Mary Jane
Edward Burns as Kurt